Buffing wheel and method of making the same



Oct. 16, 1951 A. LYON 2,571,147

BUFFING WHEEL AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Nov. 9, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet l .ZUVE UT eazgedfllber 3012 Oct. 16, 1951 G. A. LYON 2,571,147

BUFFING WHEEL AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Nov. 9, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 EL L55 Oct. 16, 1951 G. A. LYON BUFFING WHEEL AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Nov. 9, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 11 77227101" Gebzggeflbarfiiyozz E zh m EL L575 Patented Oct. 16, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcs 'BUFFING'WHEEL AND METHDDOF MAKING THE SAME George Albert Lyon, Detroit, Mich. Application November 9, 1949, Serial N 0. 126,353

4 Claims. (01. 51 193) This invention relates to a bufi assembly for use on a buffing wheel. More particularly it has to do with a buff assembly which may be economically formed with a predetermined irregular peripheral contour for ready installation on the spindle of a buffing wheel.

Buff assemblies having predetermined irregular peripheral contours have been provided heretofore which were made up of a plurality of bufiing disks of varying diameter disposed side by side on an arbor. By arranging the varying-sized disks in a definite order, the desired peripheral contour is obtained.

However, in these prior art buff assemblies the amount of wear of the assembly before it has to be discarded is dependent on the size of the disk with the smallest diameter. When this smallest disk is worn down to within a certain distance from the arbor, the buff assembly has to be replaced regardless of how much bufiing material remains on the larger disks. Thus, this sort of bufiing assembly is very uneconomical in use where a large amount of bufiing is done.

A further disadvantage of the above-mentioned bufi assembly lies in the fact that much time is consumed in assembling such a buff assembly if the contour is irregular. The varyingsized disks must be carefully chosen to obtain the desired contour.

According to the teachings of the present invention, these above-mentioned disadvantages have been overcome by providing a buff assembly wherein a relatively fiat strip of buffingmaterial of a constant width is wound around an arbor with the plane of the flat strip substantially perpendicular to the axis of the arbor. The arbor is provided with a predetermined peripheral contour and therefore the outer contour of the assembled buff will assume the contour of the arbor, which of course will be the contour desired for the bufi.

Thus, it is an important object of the present invention to provide a bufi assembly wherein the buffing element is made up of a strip of constant width so that a minimum of unused buffing material is discarded after the buff assembly is worn out.

A further object of this invention is to provide a buff assembly that may be quickly and accurately assembled intoa unit which may be readily installed on the spindle of a bufing wheel.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a means for preventing the wound bufiing element from assuming a helical configuration as it is assembled.

A special feature of this invention is the provision of an insertable block providing cross-over grooves for permitting winding of a buffing material about an arbor without forming a helical configuration.

Other and further features, advantages and objects of the present invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the following detail description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is an endelevational view of -a but! assembly constructed in accordance with the teaching of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the buff assembly of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the buff. assembly of the present invention with the surface of the arbor shown in elevation and the bufiing element and one end of the arbor and end plate shown in section;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line IV--1V of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on line V-V of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line VI-VI of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on line VII-VII of Figure 2;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line VIII-VIII of Figure 7; and V Figure 9 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken centrally through a modification of the buff assembly of the present invention particularly showing the contour of the arbor.

As shown on the drawings:

In Figures 1, 2 and 3 the reference numeral it) indicates a buff assembly whichincludes an arbor l2 having a central axially extending aperture [3. The arbor is preferably made of metal and is formed, as by casting, with an outer peripheral surface M of a predetermined contour as best shown in Figures 3 and 9. In Figure 3, as will be explained hereinafter, the peripheral surface of the arbor is grooved while in Figure 9, which is a modification, the peripheral surface is not grooved. For convenience in illustration, both of the arbors of the buff of Figures 3 and 9 are of identical configuration.

The arbor l2 has a longitudinal groove or recess I6 (Figure 4) extending along one edge and arranged to receive a block I 8. The recess l6 breaks the continuity of the peripheral surface of the arbor so that a peripheral path around the arbor is somewhat less than a full circle. This surface is provided with concentric grooves 20 which extend around the arbor from one edge of the recess [6 to the opposite edge. Curved grooves 22 are provided on the outer surface of the block I8. These curved grooves are arranged to form a continuation of two adjacent grooves 20 so that, in effect, a member following in one groove will be switched over to the adjacent groove when it reaches the groove 22 in the block I8.

The block I8 may be cast of metal with the groove 22 therein. It will be understood, of course, that since the arbor has an irregular contour the grooves may be inclined at portions of the block I8 as well as curved.

A fiat bufling element 25, made of a plurality of sheets of material sewed together, is wound in an upright position in the grooves 20 and 22 by means of a flexible member 26, such as a wire or cable. The bufiing element is bent over the cable intermediate its ends and thus the curved central portion is seated in the groove as the cable 26 is forced therein.

As the cable is wound in the grooves, the buifing element will be switched from one groove to the adjacent groove-as it passes over the block I8. However, in the rest of the travel around the periphery of the arbor it travels in a straight line. This type of construction permits the buffing element to be wound on the arbor but prevents it from assuming a helical configuration which would, of course, adversely affect the configuration of the contour.

At its outer edges the buffing element will assume a squared peripheral form as shown in dotted lines on Figure 3. Of course, as the bufling element is put into operation these square corners will wear off and the buff assembly will assume the configuration of the member which is being buffed. Thus, for convenience in Figure 3, the final configuration of the buff element is illustrated.

One end of the cable 26 is anchored in a block 28 (Figure which partially extends into a recess 29 defining a shoulder in the arbor I2 and has one wall abutting the side of the block I8. The anchoring block 28 may be made of metal and the cable 26 may be advantageously welded or brazed thereto to provide a solid anchor during the winding of the cable 26 and the buffing element onto the arbor.

As seen in Figure 6, the anchoring block 28 also extends into a recess 30 in an end plate 32 which is positioned in place against the end of the arbor after the block 28 is placed in the recess 29 in the arbor. The end plate 32 may be secured to the arbor by a plurality of bolts (not shown) and secured to the block I8 by a bolt I8 (not shown) that extends into the end of the block.

After the buffing element has been wound on the arbor along the entire length thereof, the free end of the cable is secured on the block I8 by means of a U-bolt 34 that has ends 35 extending into a recessed portion 36 in the arbor I2. Nuts 38 are disposed on the ends of the bolt 34 in the recess 36 for clamping the cable securely against the block I8.

A second end plate 40 is secured on the arbor by means of a bolt 42 and is suitably secured by a bolt (not shown) into the block I8.

When the buff is assembled as shown in Figure 3 with the end plates secured to the arbor and holding the buff assembly therebetween, it will be seen that, as the assembly wears during operation, the distance from the arbor to the contact surface will remain substantially constant along the entire length of the buff assembly. Thus, when the element has been worn down to a point where it must be discarded, the wear along the entire surface will have been substantially the same amount. This, of course, makes for a very economical buff assembly.

Thus, there is provided in this invention a nove1buff assembly which may be quickly and accurately assembled and one that provides a substantially equal thickness of the buffing element at all points along the arbor regardless of the peripheral contour of the buffing assembly.

This novel buff assembly is economical to manufacture since a bufling material of fiat stock can be used in forming the assembly. The use of an arbor having a central aperture provides ready installation on the spindle of a buffing wheel.

In Figure 9 is shown a modification of the buff assembly of the present invention. This assembly is identical to the buff assembly of Figures 1, 2 and 3 in the manner in which the buff element is anchored at both ends and in the manner in which the end plates are secured to the arbor. However, it will be noted that in this novel buff assembly of Figure 9 the peripheral contour Ma of the arbor [2a is smooth and not grooved as is the arbor I2 of Figure 3. Thus, there will be no need for a block I8 to provide a cross-over between adjacent grooves.

In assembly, the bufling material 25a is bent over a suitable cable and the cable is wound around the arbor I211. The end plates 32a and 40a hold the buffing element in assembled position.

This buff assembly of Figure 9 provides an economical method of forming a buff assembly wherein the wearing characteristics of the buff assembly will be controlled so that a minimum of unused buffing material will be discarded.

It will be observed that in both of Figures 3 and 9 the bufling wheel includes an irregular surface or profile between the end flanges whereby the annular raised, rib-like portion or portions of the core define valleys between the raised portion or portions and the end fianges. The tightly spirally wound buff strip is crowded into the valleys and the raised ridge resists shifting of the wound strip longitudinally on the core.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A buff assembly comprising an elongated arbor having a central axis of rotation and an irregular outer peripheral surface, said arbor having an axially extending recess in the surface thereof, a plurality of concentric grooves in said arbor surface extending from one lip of said recess to the other, a block insertable in said recess and having grooves in its outer surface extending across the periphery thereof and arranged to align with the ends of adjacent pairs of concentric grooves at one side thereof with the next adjacent grooves at the opposite side thereof, and a continuous bufiing element in flat strip form wound in the grooves of said arbor and said block and secured at its ends to said arbor.

I 2. A buff assembly comprising an arbor having a central axis of rotation and an irregular peripheral surface, said arbor having an axially extending recess, a plurality of concentric rounded grooves extending around said arbor from one edge of said recess to the other, a block in said recess having grooves extending angularly across its outer periphery and arranged to form continuations of the ends of adjacent concentric grooves and connect the ends of adjacent of said concentric grooves with the adjacent ends of the next adjacent concentric grooves and form a series of connected concentric grooves advancing along the face of said arbor, a continuous strip of flat buffing material wound around said arbor, a cable engaging said strip intermediate its ends and pressing it into said grooves to form a bufling element of uniform thickness, end plates secured to each end of said arbor, said grooved block having a recess therein and an anchoring block mounted in said recess for anchoring one end of said cable and a U-bolt engaging the other end of said cable and anchoring the other end of said cable to said arbor.

3. A buif assembly comprising an arbor of generall circular configuration in transverse cross section and having an irregular peripheral contour in longitudinal cross section with a plurality of concentric grooves extending around the periphery of said arbor for a portion of the circumference thereof, and a plurality of angularly disposed grooves connecting the adjacent ends of adjacent of said concentric grooves with the adjacent ends of the next adjacent grooves, and forming a continuous non-spiral groove from one end of said arbor to the other, and a continuous flat thin strip of buffing material of a constant relatively large width wound in the groove around said arbor with the plane of the fiat strip substantially normal to the axis of the arbor.

4. A method of making a buff comprising forming a predetermined contour on the surface of an arbor, forming a plurality of concentric grooves on a major portion of the surface of the arbor, forming angularly disposed grooves on the remaining portion of the arbor connecting adjacent ends of adjacent grooves with adjacent ends of the next adjacent grooves and forming a continuous non-spiral groove from one end of said arbor to the other, and winding a continuous fiat strip of bufiing material of a constant width edgewise on said arbor with an edge of the strip in the continuous groove formed in the arbor.

GEORGE ALBERT LYON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 15,226 Levett Nov. 15, 1921 230,768 Gingras Aug. 3, 1880 463,129 Yates Nov. 10, 1891 1,761,890 Ludorf June 3, 1930 2,267,584 Cave et a1 Dec. 23, 1941 2,424,873 Abbrecht July 29, 1947 2,468,686 Sax Apr. 26, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 2,319 France May 30, 1829 289,325 France May 29, 1899 550,823 France Mar. 21, 1923 

